Whole Body Fitness

With so many different types of fitness classes in the studio, it's hard to know what would be best for your body and your goals. So how do we determine what we need, what we lack, and then how the heck do we get more of it!?

Just like nutrition where you need a balance of macros (protein, carbs, and fats), as well as vitamins and minerals, we also have to have a balance in our physical exercise in order to feel like our best selves! Now, I know each body is different, and we each need a slightly different ratio between all these to create our optimal selves, so always listen to your body and have fun with the process! Whole Body Fitness can be split up into 4 basic parts: Strength, Cardio, Active mobility, and Passive mobility. All of these together will create a truly balanced physical body full of zest!

You may now be thinking to yourself that this is great and everything, but what's the difference between each one, and how do I get them all in the limited amount of time I have in my day? Well keep reading my friend, I'm going to lay it all out!

Strength:

By definition "Physical strength is the measure of a human's exertion of force on physical objects. Increasing physical strength is the goal of strength training." So, strength training is resistance training of any kind. It is best at building muscle, bone density, and burning calories over time by increasing your base metabolic rate, or BMR. Strength training may also enhance your quality of life and improve your ability to do all your awesome everyday activities, it helps protect your joints from injury because building muscle also can contribute to better balance and may reduce your risk of falls. This can help you maintain independence as you age. Another important note, strength training can reduce the signs and symptoms of many chronic conditions, such as arthritis, back pain, obesity, heart disease, depression, and diabetes.

What are some ways you can get in some more strength training at the studio?

• Pilates is fantastic for low impact strength training

• TRX is bodyweight suspension training

• Sculpt and boot camp classes are guided resistance training.

I would recommend doing 2+ strengthening classes a week

Cardio (aerobic exercise):

By definition, aerobic exercise means “with oxygen.” Your breathing and heart rate will increase during aerobic activities. Aerobic exercise helps keep your heart, lungs, and circulatory system healthy. Some of the most common examples of cardio include walking, cycling, and swimming. However, even household chores like vacuuming and mopping can qualify as cardio exercise!

Cardio can benefit your daily life by making you sleep better, increasing your lung capacity, Lowers stress, burns calories, reduces risk of heart attack, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, and some forms of cancer! It also Strengthens your heart BIG TIME so it doesn't have to work so hard to pump blood around your body!

Studio Classes you can use to up your cardio!

• Spin classes/cycle classes

• Sculpt/boot camps/ HIIT

• TRX

• Yoga Flow

It is recommended that each person gets 150 minutes minimum of cardio per week. This could be in class or walking your dog! Just make sure to up that heart rate and breathe a bit harder

Active Flexibility/mobility:

Active flexibility is the range of motion a joint can move into without an external force helping it go there. Active flexibility is also known as mobility. Working on your mobility is a type of strength training where you only focus on becoming strong at your end ranges of motion. Many people prefer active flexibility over passive flexibility because they want to be able to control their range of motion. This type of flexibility is great for stability, balance, joint health, promoting energetic and digestive health, independence, athletic ability, and all other movement practices!

What classes are best suited for Active flexibility/mobility training?

• Pilates

• yoga

• Stretch/ mobility classes

How often? I would recommend doing some form of active mobility training 3-5 times a week

Passive Flexibility:

Passive flexibility is the range of motion a joint can move into when there’s an external force helping it go there. Usually your passive flexibility is larger than your active flexibility. This is because you can move into your passive range of motion with the help of external force such as a band, your hands, gravity, an assist from another person, etc.. This type of flexibility relies on the elasticity of the connective tissues around the muscles. Working on passive flexibility will help you increase and maintain a large range of motion, which is important to your progress in active flexibility. Passive flexibility is the foundation on which you can start building your active flexibility. You can turn passive flexibility into active flexibility by strengthening your muscles at your passive end range of motion.

With passive stretching, it’s important to note that you are not contracting or using your muscles but keeping the muscles relaxed. Passive stretches often require very little energy or force, and should not create tension within the body.

Classes for passive flexibility:

• Yoga

• Stretch/Mobility classes

How often should you work on passive mobility? This depends on your lifestyle and goals, I would recommend 2 sessions per week

So now we know the 4 main parts of an all-encompassing fitness routine... but how do we get it all in? 2+ Strength classes, 2+ cardio/spin classes, 3 active mobility, and 2+ passive flexibility? That's like 9+ group fitness classes a week!? Well If you look closer, the classes overlap each other. Pilates, for example, is strengthening and great for mobility, and yoga is great for both forms of flexibility, and HIIT can be strength and cardio! So now it's more like you could do 3 classes a week and a hike or dog walk and get more than enough of all types of exercise to round out your movement practice!

All these recommendations are ones for someone with average health goals and does not do any other forms of activity! this may not be the guide you need for your body and goals! Just remember that balance is key, and what creates balance in your life, may not be the best ratio or balance in someone else's! If you want help building your perfect class schedule, then drop me a line and I will personally help you build the routine you need to live the life of your dreams, in a body that you fall in love with every day!

Sending love and light.

Katya.